'I'm doing everything I can' - Wade

Matthew Wade knows his immediate fate in the baggy green could be in his own hands as the selectors prepare to choose between him and Brad Haddin for the first Test against South Africa. Australia's captain Michael Clarke and national selector John Inverarity have both said in the past few days that the Haddin-Wade decision has not yet been made, which gives both men extra motivation to perform over the next fortnight.

The problem for Haddin is that he is in South Africa at the Champions League T20 and should the Sydney Sixers go all the way in the tournament, he won't have any more Sheffield Shield opportunities to press his case before the decision is made. Although Haddin, who turns 35 next week, made a terrific 114 in his most recent Shield match last month, the selectors will need to weigh up his experience against the youth and talent of Wade.

Wade was given a chance in Test cricket in the West Indies in April, when Haddin pulled out of the tour after his daughter Mia was diagnosed with cancer, and impressed with a century in his third Test. He began this season with 89 in his only Shield match so far and another big innings against Tasmania at the MCG next week could be enough to sway things his way ahead of a battle with the No.1 Test team in the world.

"I feel comfortable within the Australian setup now, I understand what they're all about and what we're trying to do," Wade told ESPNcricinfo. "I feel really comfortable around the team but that doesn't guarantee you selection. It's all about performance from here on in. I've got two more Shield games before the Tests and if I can perform in them, hopefully I'll get picked.

"I can only do what I can control. It was nice to come home early and play at the Gabba and get some runs there. I feel like I'm doing everything I can, I'm playing to the best of my ability. If that's not good enough, that's not good enough. I can only get told on the day whether I'm in or out."

Wade, 24, has racked up three Tests, 25 ODIs and 15 Twenty20 internationals since making his debut just over a year ago, and has gone from strength to strength. Inverarity has been impressed not only with Wade's work for Australia but was also happy with what he saw against Queensland at the Gabba last week, when Wade came in with Victoria wobbling at 4 for 39 and rescued the innings in very trying conditions.

"It shows what a very good batsman Matthew Wade is," Inverarity said. "That innings, in the context of that game was the match-winner. They bowled very well in helpful conditions and that 89 was a very significant batting performance.

"If you go back to February, he played for Australia, then he played on the wickets in the West Indies, then he went to England and played there, then the UAE, then Sri Lanka. The amount of experience he's got into his experience in seven months is fantastic."

It hasn't all been easy for Wade, as anyone who watched the one-day series in the Caribbean could attest. While his glovework was always sound, he found it especially difficult batting against the spin of Sunil Narine, but the way he worked through that trouble and emerged with a Test century in Dominica, having come to the crease at 5 for 157, pleased the coach Mickey Arthur.

"We saw Wadey in the West Indies really battle with the turning ball, he hadn't played in conditions like that before, he didn't have a game-plan, he didn't know how to score, he didn't know where to score off Sunil Narine," Arthur said. "But he worked it out and at the end of the series he got a really good hundred.

"We saw a little bit of that in England, a little bit of that in Sri Lanka, he worked immensely hard through the T20 on his batting, his first-class batting. He learns very quickly. He's like a little kid, he comes and he fights it and he moans and whinges and gets frustrated, but he works hard, learns quick and hopefully he gets the rewards. He's got a good edge to him."

Arthur and Inverarity are both on the selection panel that will make the decision by the end of this month, as is Clarke, who said this week that Wade was "an amazing talent" who "is going to be a big player for Australian cricket over a long period of time". Whether that period encompasses the South African series remains to be seen, but Wade would love the chance to tackle Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.

"There's no tougher Test cricket than what that will be against South Africa," Wade said. "As cricketers all we want to do is test ourselves against the best players in the world. Their bowlers are the best in the world at times. It's going to be hard work all summer against those guys and then a pretty good team in Sri Lanka coming over as well.

"It's definitely a bigger jump up in intensity [to Test cricket] and you always get that one bowler that troubles you. The pressure is a little bit different. I think a home series is probably going to be even tougher, everyone is watching, but it would be fantastic to play in."

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here

Last year @Hammond, a huge occasion for NZ, rightfully celebrated, funny no-one rates wins over Eng so highly now do they? Aust shooting for No1 next month, so soon I know! With SA still exhausted from belting Eng around for days and days on end, the natural balance in Test cricket will soon be restored.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 19, 2012, 3:33 GMT

@G Wilson - no worries - Prior's Test stats do make him the best Keeper/Batsmen in the game currently. I suspect there will be a slight decline in his batting as he has outperformed his FC stats by a long way. IMO Wade is a young bloke who will become better than Prior in both disciplines, but it will probably be more like 3 yrs from now before he is near his best.

POSTED BY
Hammond
on | October 19, 2012, 1:56 GMT

@pat_one_back- actually what is laughable is your comment re: New Zealand. The last time New Zealand beat Australia was?? "The dark days of despair" have only just started for Australia. Enjoy.

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 19, 2012, 1:15 GMT

And just quickly - I'm not a fan of Haddin at all, and haven't been for some time, however his recent FC hundred and the couple of innings I've watched him play in the CLT20 have been impressive, a throwback to what made him the clear replacement for Gilchrist some 5-odd years ago. I'm not necessarily saying that his T20 form be considered for Test Match cricket, however it's the approach and the range of shots he's playing that suggest to me he's rekindled something in his batting mechanics that, in my opinion, have been missing for some time. I guess I'm more saying that he seems rejuvenated and hungry, and resultantly fierce and more brutal, much like his earlier days. This seems to apply to his keeping also. Objectively I'd still prefer Wade to be picked, however Haddin appears to have found some form and energy, playing strokes he hasn't across any format in the last few seasons and looking tighter with the gloves. This is hard for me to admit, but I feel it is fair.

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 19, 2012, 1:02 GMT

@Hammond - without KP England were revealed to be toothless. SAF may be better than us, the last series we played in SAF proves inconclusive, but you have ignored that your side was obliterated by SAF and therefore you (and ENG as a national side) are unqualified to speak as though you are in the same category. Anderson, Broad and Swann struggled against SAF in home conditions, Bresnan (who some of your tabloids lauded as better than Flintoff) took 2/278 and struggled with the bat, and your batsmen did not mark up to the SAF lineup. So let's get this clear - SAF may well be better than Aus, and with the lineup they have that's not an embarrassing concession, however England are nowhere near as good as SAF, and therefore are not worthy of consideration on a life-for-like basis as you've attempted (vainly) to do. England better start scouring the SAF domestic cricket ranks to unearth their next superstar because you are half a side without your current one (KP). Nice try though.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 18, 2012, 20:46 GMT

@zenboomerang on (October 18 2012, 07:37 AM GMT) - Haddin's knock in the Ashes was not on a dead pitch. If you had seen that match you would know that the 3rd morning the pitch was still full of lateral movement, Anderson (at the time) was bowling the best I ever saw him, AFTER Lunch the pitch died.

POSTED BY
pat_one_back
on | October 18, 2012, 20:36 GMT

@Hammond, laughable. SA and particularly ENG have nothing over Aust right now, NZ would casually beat Eng on their recent form. Welcome back to dark years of English cricketing despair, Aust's big ship is no Titanic but it has turned, Eng better keep plenty of seats for Foreigners on their deck, face it Flintoff is the only cricketer of note produced from Eng in 20 years.

POSTED BY
on | October 18, 2012, 13:11 GMT

yeah meety my comment was a bit of a troll but Prior is still the best for me, runs with the bat & hasnt dropped 2 many chances or stumpings either' cant ask for more

My problem is this - over the next year or 2 haddin is going to be getting older and at some point start playing inconsistent cricket and will have to be dropped or retire - Wade on the other hand has 10 years before he gets to that age (more exp he gets now the better) and when there is not much difference between the batting ability of both - then really it is an easy choice - our selectors are a little bit bad at the job so I wouldn't be surprised if haddin plays

POSTED BY
pat_one_back
on | October 19, 2012, 22:32 GMT

Last year @Hammond, a huge occasion for NZ, rightfully celebrated, funny no-one rates wins over Eng so highly now do they? Aust shooting for No1 next month, so soon I know! With SA still exhausted from belting Eng around for days and days on end, the natural balance in Test cricket will soon be restored.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 19, 2012, 3:33 GMT

@G Wilson - no worries - Prior's Test stats do make him the best Keeper/Batsmen in the game currently. I suspect there will be a slight decline in his batting as he has outperformed his FC stats by a long way. IMO Wade is a young bloke who will become better than Prior in both disciplines, but it will probably be more like 3 yrs from now before he is near his best.

POSTED BY
Hammond
on | October 19, 2012, 1:56 GMT

@pat_one_back- actually what is laughable is your comment re: New Zealand. The last time New Zealand beat Australia was?? "The dark days of despair" have only just started for Australia. Enjoy.

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 19, 2012, 1:15 GMT

And just quickly - I'm not a fan of Haddin at all, and haven't been for some time, however his recent FC hundred and the couple of innings I've watched him play in the CLT20 have been impressive, a throwback to what made him the clear replacement for Gilchrist some 5-odd years ago. I'm not necessarily saying that his T20 form be considered for Test Match cricket, however it's the approach and the range of shots he's playing that suggest to me he's rekindled something in his batting mechanics that, in my opinion, have been missing for some time. I guess I'm more saying that he seems rejuvenated and hungry, and resultantly fierce and more brutal, much like his earlier days. This seems to apply to his keeping also. Objectively I'd still prefer Wade to be picked, however Haddin appears to have found some form and energy, playing strokes he hasn't across any format in the last few seasons and looking tighter with the gloves. This is hard for me to admit, but I feel it is fair.

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 19, 2012, 1:02 GMT

@Hammond - without KP England were revealed to be toothless. SAF may be better than us, the last series we played in SAF proves inconclusive, but you have ignored that your side was obliterated by SAF and therefore you (and ENG as a national side) are unqualified to speak as though you are in the same category. Anderson, Broad and Swann struggled against SAF in home conditions, Bresnan (who some of your tabloids lauded as better than Flintoff) took 2/278 and struggled with the bat, and your batsmen did not mark up to the SAF lineup. So let's get this clear - SAF may well be better than Aus, and with the lineup they have that's not an embarrassing concession, however England are nowhere near as good as SAF, and therefore are not worthy of consideration on a life-for-like basis as you've attempted (vainly) to do. England better start scouring the SAF domestic cricket ranks to unearth their next superstar because you are half a side without your current one (KP). Nice try though.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 18, 2012, 20:46 GMT

@zenboomerang on (October 18 2012, 07:37 AM GMT) - Haddin's knock in the Ashes was not on a dead pitch. If you had seen that match you would know that the 3rd morning the pitch was still full of lateral movement, Anderson (at the time) was bowling the best I ever saw him, AFTER Lunch the pitch died.

POSTED BY
pat_one_back
on | October 18, 2012, 20:36 GMT

@Hammond, laughable. SA and particularly ENG have nothing over Aust right now, NZ would casually beat Eng on their recent form. Welcome back to dark years of English cricketing despair, Aust's big ship is no Titanic but it has turned, Eng better keep plenty of seats for Foreigners on their deck, face it Flintoff is the only cricketer of note produced from Eng in 20 years.

POSTED BY
on | October 18, 2012, 13:11 GMT

yeah meety my comment was a bit of a troll but Prior is still the best for me, runs with the bat & hasnt dropped 2 many chances or stumpings either' cant ask for more

My problem is this - over the next year or 2 haddin is going to be getting older and at some point start playing inconsistent cricket and will have to be dropped or retire - Wade on the other hand has 10 years before he gets to that age (more exp he gets now the better) and when there is not much difference between the batting ability of both - then really it is an easy choice - our selectors are a little bit bad at the job so I wouldn't be surprised if haddin plays

POSTED BY
Nightwing32
on | October 18, 2012, 8:25 GMT

Well I don't care who gets the slot, just get make the most of it. If Haddin or Wade get it then bat well and keep well.

The other has the Aussie A vs. English Lions tour to play I guess

POSTED BY
Hammond
on | October 18, 2012, 7:59 GMT

Anyway, the debate is meaningless. Australia should put whomever they want in any of the test spots, they are still going to be beaten by their betters both this summer by SA and next winter by ENG. As someone put it so succinctly "it's like moving deck chairs on the Titanic"..

POSTED BY
vrn59
on | October 18, 2012, 7:47 GMT

Australia are going to have a tough time picking a keeper. Matthew Wade is right: he's doing everything he can. Although I think his batting could have been better in England and Sri Lanka, at least his Test performance has indeed been upto the mark. His century in the Caribbean was one he will cherish forever. Long-term, Wade is the future of Australian wicket-keeping. On the other hand, there is Brad Haddin who has a lot more experience on his side. Although his form with both bat and gloves in the previous summer was poor, it was not bad enough for him never to play for his country again. His domestic form is now in good shape, and some people might support him sentimentally due to baby girl's unfortunate condition. One way to go is to keep Haddin as the Test wicket-keeper until the Ashes next year are over, and then have him retire and replaced by Wade; or Wade could just continue now. It's a very tough call, and both sides make compelling arguments.

POSTED BY
zenboomerang
on | October 18, 2012, 7:37 GMT

@ygkd... Haddins 1st Test series was also against WI's in the WI's but aged 30y.o. yet he failed to get a 50 in his first 8 Tests, while his 1st 100 came against NZ at Adelaide Oval... While his last (out of 3) 100 came at the Gabba on a pitch that turned dead flat after the 1st day - thats from 71 innings... Did you watch his batting style at Cape Town v SA or at Bellerive v NZ... Hmmm, me thinks that says a lot more about his batting than anything else...

POSTED BY
zenboomerang
on | October 18, 2012, 7:35 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster... Gilchrist is in a league of his own - no one gets near him & he shouldn't be brought into this discussion... Paine & Wade have nearly the same levels of FC experience though Wade is 3 years younger, yet Wade is clearly the superior batsman, I would prefer Paine on keeping duties alone, but only a little bit... On another note Paine basically lost 2 seasons due to serious injuries & has yet to get much game time into him, so hoping he has a good FC season this year but he is basically no.3 keeper atm until Haddin retires...

POSTED BY
ygkd
on | October 18, 2012, 5:52 GMT

Can we just get something straight? Three Tests is not necessarily a confirmation of anything. Haddin played over thirty (that's right - 30) Tests before his batting average fell below 39.6, in which time he had scored three centuries, all of which were over 120. That doesn't mean I would have picked him those thirty times had a been a selector, nor would I select him now. But let us not not confuse short term records with long term ones. They are alike as chalk and cheese. On the subject of Ramdin, chalk and cheese reminds me of his play - he can be excellent with the gloves and ordinary with the bat. Of course, glovework is rarely the thing being judged in this forum when it comes to keepers. We never say Shane Warne was a rubbish spinner because he never made a Test ton. Why should we say X is a rubbish keeper because of his batting ability? If you mean batting, say so. There are enough words for the job - batter, batsman, batsman-keeper, keeper-batsman..... Keeper means glovework.

POSTED BY
masoodali150
on | October 18, 2012, 5:42 GMT

By the way, Hadden is also doing everything.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 18, 2012, 4:04 GMT

@ disco_bob on (October 18 2012, 02:33 AM GMT) - you are right. It was response to the cruddy first 3 comments on this article! That said, if you believe what some people write here, we are apparantly basically minnows who should only play Ireland AND despite all this, with bare batting cupboards, no keepers & no bowlers of any sort, we can be #1 IF we beat the Saffas! So, there is a hint of truth in what I said, imagine when we pick a settled XI?

POSTED BY
disco_bob
on | October 18, 2012, 2:33 GMT

Meety, that last post seemed a bit uncharacteristically bullish. But I am also quietly confident that once we attain the summit, whether it be after the SA tour or after the Ashes, we will be more difficult to dislodge than the recent trio of incumbents. Paine looked like a natural from the off hope we get to see him back in the team soon.

POSTED BY
jahinoz
on | October 18, 2012, 1:48 GMT

Poor Tim "my fingers are in" Paine didn't get a mention here. Last I heard his fingers didn't heal properly. If the selectors can't make up their mind over Haddin and Wade then give a shield cricketer a run.

POSTED BY
BG4cricket
on | October 18, 2012, 1:10 GMT

Dashgar - there is no question that Haddin's first class batting record is superior although Wade and to a lesser extent Paine are handy. I think they are mostly the same standard with the gloves with a slight edge to Paine perhaps. On this basis I would go with Haddin just and leave Wade for the shorter forms for now. Having said that there seriously can't be any question (even for an Aussie) that Matt Prior is the best Test keeper at the moment.

Not sure if srs capt Meanster . . .
Wade > Prior. comfortable Superior keeper, slightly superior bat. Both average 40 in FC cricket, but Wade has played in the MUCH higher standard shield vs County cricket. LIst A averages: Wade 33, Prior 24. What else is there to say? Oh, of course Wade is a decade younger.
And statswise, Ramdin doesn't even come close to either Wade or prior, and Wade is much younger than him also . . . I think it's safe to say Wade is the no.1 keeper in the world ATM

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 18, 2012, 0:51 GMT

@G Wilson re: Ramdin v Wade - whilst both keepers have a similar innings per century ratio, the unavoidable fact is that Wade has a FC average that is 10 runs higher than Ramdin & his Test average is almost double Ramdin's. That said I would say that there is enough evidence to suggest 1) That Ramdin can do a lot better in Tests than he has done so far, 2) Batting conditions in the WIndies is not as easy as in Oz, so they are closer than pure stats would suggest. That all being said - on pure batting terms, Wade is still a long way in front (IMO).

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 18, 2012, 0:29 GMT

@hhillbumper - also, you speak of our vaunted bowling attack. KP was your best bowler against SAF. Broad bowled a tick under 40, Anderson over 40, Swann at 77 and Bresnan's 2 wickets cost 139 runs apiece. Finn did a decent job (10 wickets @ 32.20), however ultimately your bowlers (omitting Trott and Bopara, as in actual bowlers) took 40 wickets for 1802 runs for the series at the concerning average of 45.05. In home conditions. In terms of what is coming up you have Compton, Bairstow, Adams, Root, Chopra and Taylor coming through with the bat (and Buttler in the shorter formats), nothing special in the keeping ranks as per previous, and bowling-wise you have Barker, Roland-Jones (who looks great), Coles and Meaker (as pacemen) and then Kerrigan (who had an average season) and Briggs (who seems reasonable) as upcoming spinners. So you have things on the go. But so does Australia.

POSTED BY
Sinhaya
on | October 18, 2012, 0:25 GMT

@Akash Pooransingh, many thanks for highlighting! In the Dominica test match, Narine did not play as he was playing for KKR in the IPL. Wonder in what world is coach Mickey Arthur? Surely you should remember better. Clarke only made headlines by saying that he doubts that Narine will play in the tests matches against the Aussies and that was the case! Cricinfo please publish!

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 18, 2012, 0:11 GMT

In relation to seeing Denesh Ramdin's name in the comments section. Are you serious? If you refer to the batting averages in the recent series Aus played in the West Indies a lot of our batsmen struggled for runs as it was a tough series for batsmen (both sides). Wade's century was timely and critical to our victory. Denesh Ramdin averages 23 at Test level and is generally accepted as being extremely mediocre with the gloves. Whilst I don't agree with the statement that Wade is the best in the world I certainly don't agree that Ramdin even gets a mention, let alone alongside an implication that he's on par with Wade.

In relation to the English cupboard being bare - I don't agree with that either. Bairstow is seen as competent with the gloves, and talented with the bat, and there are quite a few keepers under the age of 28 around the county circuit (I mentioned some in my previous post). But the keepers all hold FC averages that hover on 30 or below, which must be a bit concerning.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | October 17, 2012, 23:28 GMT

Matt Wade looks decent but he's not a Gilchrist. He's just another average keeper with talent. IMO, he needs to play more Shield cricket before I jam that baggy green on his head for life. Haddin is also along similar lines. And what's happened to the PAYNE of mankind ? You know who I am talking about folks.

POSTED BY
Meety
on | October 17, 2012, 22:58 GMT

Yay - the trolls are out in force today. Must be really worried about Oz's eventual & inevitable rise to #1. Amazizng how dominant we will be once we have settled on our best XI!!!!

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 22:26 GMT

@ RandyOz u have got to be kidding even Dinesh Ramdin is equal to if not better than Wade. he 2 made a century this year vs a much better attack than west indies. ever heard of Matt Prior ?

POSTED BY
Liquefierrrr
on | October 17, 2012, 21:57 GMT

@Jonesy2 and hhillbumper - you can't be serious. Foster is 32 and Read is 34, what's more they have been tried at the highest level and failed. And in this day and age, whether people like to admit it or not, keeper's need to be able to bat (at Test level). Paine and Wade have shown glimpses of such already in their limited appearances. Read and Foster have batted a collective 35 times for England scoring 1 x 50 combined. They tried Phil Mustard but he has disappeared. I guess Bairstow is a decent player, but his keeping role seems diluted. Between Wade, Paine, Neville and Hartley you've got 4 quality keepers there who can really bat. I think we are just fine. England's best keeper is the South African Matt Prior. J Batty is 38, Kieswetter (SAF) is ignored, Eckersley looks OK, M Wallace is 30, John Simpson seems reasonable, Tim Ambrose is decent but is approaching 30, G Jones is 36 and a proven failure, Michael Bates looks competent with the gloves but averages 19.66 in 46 innings.

POSTED BY
Ozcricketwriter
on | October 17, 2012, 21:15 GMT

Why is this a question? Haddin was bad to begin with and now is out of form, while Wade, in comparison, is amazing and the best thing since Gilchrist. The fact that this is even being seriously discussed highlights just how bad the selectors have been.

POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | October 17, 2012, 21:13 GMT

I could have put it better myself @ffl. England's cupboard is well and truly bare.

POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | October 17, 2012, 21:10 GMT

Australia have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to keepers. Wade would be the best in the world right now.

POSTED BY
sifter132
on | October 17, 2012, 21:05 GMT

Tim Paine is the man who the discussion should really be about. I think he's been the selectors #1 future preference in the past. Picking Wade over Haddin might cast some doubt over Paine's status in the pecking order. Picking Haddin would probably be a signal that they are waiting for Paine to come good. I'm a Paine man myself, I think he's a better fighter in the middle order than Wade, something which Aus will need once Hussey goes. Wade should probably be the short form keeper, Paine the Test.

POSTED BY
ygkd
on | October 17, 2012, 20:48 GMT

Wasn't Sunil Narine in India with the IPL when Wade made his Test ton? I've heard of playing spinners from the crease, but never from the other side of the globe!

POSTED BY
Dashgar
on | October 17, 2012, 20:26 GMT

Wade is a better first class batsman than Haddin. He's proven this over an extended period of first class cricket and confirmed it with 3 test matches. He's also a much better keeper, I agree with Mark Waugh that he was excellent behind the stumps in SL. Add to that that Wade is nearly 11 years younger than Haddin. If Wade isn't selected it is madness.

POSTED BY
Buggsy
on | October 17, 2012, 20:00 GMT

@hhillbumper, that's right, Broad and Swann never break down do they?

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 19:32 GMT

Wade and Haddin is a reminder of how great a keeper Gilchrist was and how much Australia miss him. I doubt the Aussies fill find a keeper like Gilchrist anytime soon. Wade is useless and Haddin's in his twilight years.

POSTED BY
hhillbumper
on | October 17, 2012, 19:14 GMT

Jonesey 2. Yep we have the best wicket keepers. Read is a genius and foster is not far behind. There is some good young talent coming through as well. Bit like our bowlers and batting.

But at least our bowlers don't go snap when they see a pitch. Lets place odds on how many of your vaunted bowling attack start and finish the series

POSTED BY
Beertjie
on | October 17, 2012, 15:35 GMT

Hope they give Paine a game for Aus A v Saffers. It's him or Neville for India/the Ashes.

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 15:30 GMT

just 4 changes & i am pretty sure The Sir Frank would be restin in West Indian arms right now. Gayle, Sarwan , Samuels & Narine for Bharat, Brathwaite Powell & Sammy. heck throw in 2 decent fast bowlers like Johnson & Gabriel with Roach & Ravi playing throw the whole tour we might have even brought home the Wisden Trophy as well

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 15:17 GMT

Wade should send Narine a big Christmas present because if Sunil had chosen to stay for the test series instead of chasing money playing hit & giggle cricket Quite frankly The selectors would not be having this conversation :)

POSTED BY
jonesy.2
on | October 17, 2012, 15:12 GMT

wish we were as well placed as england for 1st rate wicket keepers, our stocks look feeble when you look at the english stock were 7/8 could be selected all of good quality. were we have 2 at best and would not be considered. i know i call the poms but i have to accept that as a fact.

POSTED BY
SamAsh07
on | October 17, 2012, 15:10 GMT

Tim Paine! Now that will surprise everyone!

POSTED BY
bumsonseats
on | October 17, 2012, 14:55 GMT

varun i agree theres nothing coming thru batting wise so playing 2 average keepers with their average batting may solve the problem.

POSTED BY
first_slip
on | October 17, 2012, 14:17 GMT

Mark Waugh said "Wade" was the best Wicket Keeper of the T20 World Cup when he was in com box, i couldn't stop laughing. i thought Mark Waugh have common sense, but i n he doent have common sense now, and Wade is the Worst Australian Keeper i've ever seen, thank got they doesn't pay by words for cricketers, you know what i mean !

POSTED BY
Gordo85
on | October 17, 2012, 13:43 GMT

It either has to be Wade or it has to be Hartley that is for sure.
Players normally get picked because they deserve it not because of who they are.

POSTED BY
Mary_786
on | October 17, 2012, 13:41 GMT

Wade deserves it, he got a century last game and also made a fighting 80 odd against QLD in tough conditions at the Gabba.

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 13:20 GMT

"he found it especially difficult batting against the spin of Sunil Narine, but the way he worked through that trouble and emerged with a Test century in Dominica" - Sunil Narine did not play in that match - check the scorecard.

POSTED BY
Front-Foot_lunge
on | October 17, 2012, 13:13 GMT

Why does it seem all of a sudden that Australia has 2 or 3 decent players for most spots? It doesn't seem that long again that my England was boasting about our strength in depth, now with the exodus of a single play (KP) we've lost the No1 ranking, were spanked by South Africa and were sent packing early in the T20 world cup. We've got no-one decent coming through. batsmen, maybe Compton, w/c Read, kKeswetter (don't make me laugh), Bowlers? the cupboard is bare!

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 13:03 GMT

Unfortunately, I thought Wade's keeping was poor in the T20

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 12:32 GMT

Don't worry about the pretty good team from Sri Lanka because they will choke in grand style

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 12:16 GMT

Play both of them in the 11...seeing Australia struggle against good bowling attacks in tests in recent past, that would be a good option...Wade can play as a pure batsman...

POSTED BY
steve_mcking1
on | October 17, 2012, 12:14 GMT

It shouldn't even be a contest. Wade > Haddin.

POSTED BY
McGoogly
on | October 17, 2012, 12:12 GMT

Brad who?

Wade all the way

POSTED BY
Sinhaya
on | October 17, 2012, 12:11 GMT

Good luck Wade in your quest to cement your position in the Australian side.

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 11:39 GMT

Give it back to Haddin, Give him 2 tests to prove his worth. He is in top form & proven player, plus he deserves it as he supported his family to give Wade his chance.

POSTED BY
LordKratos
on | October 17, 2012, 11:36 GMT

Goodluck Wade youre right you can only work on your game the rest lies with the selectors

POSTED BY
ravikb
on | October 17, 2012, 11:17 GMT

Mr. Arthur, agree that Wade had scored a hundred in a test match but Sunil Narine was not playing those test matches. No way Wade worked out Narine as we found out as recently as the World T20 semi-final where he was out facing Narine's second delivery.

POSTED BY
Front-Foot-Lunge
on | October 17, 2012, 11:13 GMT

The circus of Australian cricket produces yet more comedy. Their infamous slide, caused by England thrashing them every time they meet starting 4 years ago, continues with hilarious precision.

POSTED BY
Hammond
on | October 17, 2012, 11:06 GMT

Sorry Matthew you are a numpty with hard hands and poor footwork. Let's move onto Nevill.

POSTED BY
R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on | October 17, 2012, 11:05 GMT

Bring both. Aus. need all the batsmen they can muster. Any news of Gilchrist coming out of retirement yet?

No featured comments at the moment.

POSTED BY
R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on | October 17, 2012, 11:05 GMT

Bring both. Aus. need all the batsmen they can muster. Any news of Gilchrist coming out of retirement yet?

POSTED BY
Hammond
on | October 17, 2012, 11:06 GMT

Sorry Matthew you are a numpty with hard hands and poor footwork. Let's move onto Nevill.

POSTED BY
Front-Foot-Lunge
on | October 17, 2012, 11:13 GMT

The circus of Australian cricket produces yet more comedy. Their infamous slide, caused by England thrashing them every time they meet starting 4 years ago, continues with hilarious precision.

POSTED BY
ravikb
on | October 17, 2012, 11:17 GMT

Mr. Arthur, agree that Wade had scored a hundred in a test match but Sunil Narine was not playing those test matches. No way Wade worked out Narine as we found out as recently as the World T20 semi-final where he was out facing Narine's second delivery.

POSTED BY
LordKratos
on | October 17, 2012, 11:36 GMT

Goodluck Wade youre right you can only work on your game the rest lies with the selectors

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 11:39 GMT

Give it back to Haddin, Give him 2 tests to prove his worth. He is in top form & proven player, plus he deserves it as he supported his family to give Wade his chance.

POSTED BY
Sinhaya
on | October 17, 2012, 12:11 GMT

Good luck Wade in your quest to cement your position in the Australian side.

POSTED BY
McGoogly
on | October 17, 2012, 12:12 GMT

Brad who?

Wade all the way

POSTED BY
steve_mcking1
on | October 17, 2012, 12:14 GMT

It shouldn't even be a contest. Wade > Haddin.

POSTED BY
on | October 17, 2012, 12:16 GMT

Play both of them in the 11...seeing Australia struggle against good bowling attacks in tests in recent past, that would be a good option...Wade can play as a pure batsman...